After sitting on my thoughts of Christopher Nolan‘s latest epric, The Odyssey, the following quotes come to mind: ” You either die a hero of live long enough to see yourself become the villian” from The Dark Knight, “I believe we did” from Oppenheimer, and “Wars do not make one great.” from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

The Story So Far

In The Odyssey, the great hero Odysseus, Matt Damon, is coming home after the Trojan War. During his ten year journey to Troy, his wife, Penelope, Anne Hathaway, is left alone in Ithaca with their son, Telemachus, Tom Holland. Telemachus is watched under the blinding eye of Eumaeus, John Leguizamo, who tells him tales of his father.

Odysseus’ journey back home is derailed which adds ten years to him not being with his wife and son. Due to his absence, suitors start taking over his home in hopes of Penelope chosing one to be the new king. Amongst these suitors are Antinous, Robert Pattinson, and Polybus, Corey Hawkins, who slowly plot to take get rid of Telemachus.

During Odysseus’ time away his crew gets trapped by a cyclops. They survive a run-in with sirens. His men go through a transformation when they meet Circe, Samantha Morton and are nearly destroyed when fighting the Laestrygonians. All of these events keep Odysseus away from home but so does his time with Calypso, Charlize Theron.

The Voyage Home

The Odyssey was written almost 3 thousand years ago. As timeless as this tale is a lot of the themes of this film are very relavent today. As stated in the opening quotes, a lot of what these men do are for their greater good, but at what cost. Throughout the movie we hear an an evil know as the “people from the sea” that is taking over lands. The audience is never given much insight as to who or what these people are. As Odysseus goes on this journey, he is fighting with the idea of wanting to get home but knowing all of his men will not make it. He has to make some tough decisions, and you can see how these choices affect him mentally and physically.

By shooting the entire film in IMAX, the voyage home feels so epic. The shots do not have wasted space and engluf the audience within the scenery. Director of Photography, Hoyte van Hoytema, masterfully gives us images on the screen that fill us with dread one minute to the point where we are at the edge of our seats. Even in tight quarters, like the inside of a wooden horse, Hoytema’s images are unforgettable. As unforgettable as these scenes are, they help with moving the movie along. At almost 3 hours long, the film moves at a good pace.

The Cost of Legacy

Matt Damon is in top form as Odysseus. He plays the role not only as a leader to his men but also a father figure to them. Many times he is forced to make tough choices. The men feel that he is losing his mind but do not understand the weight on Odysseus’ shoulders. If the choice is for all his men to die or only lose a few, the choice he makes is one that he has to live with for the rest of his life. When retelling his tale you can see in his face and voice that these choices will haunt him forever.

Along with Damon, Anne Hathaway and John Leguizamo are fantastic. Hathaway balances her loyalty to her husband and to Zeus’s law with entertaining her suitors. Leguizamo as Odyssesus’ faithful servant, shows how having hope keeps him going and this is mimicked with Argus, Odyssesus’ dog. That moment alone had me in tears because I have experienced that.

There are a lot of moments in the epic poem that are condensed or omitted from Nolan’s vision and that is ok. The movie gives the audience just enough of the poem to entertain us. The story of the Odyssey is one that has been retold in multiple movies. From O’ Brother, Where Art Thou?, to The Warriors, the tale of will continue to fasinate audiences. Christopher Nolan has given us the closest adaptation of the epic poem that we will ever see and what he has given us is a gift.

Final Thoughts: The Odyssey is a perfect blend of the source material & taking poetic license in the narrative. By not giving us a linear story, the audience feels the weight on Odysseus’ shoulders as he tries to get home. Nolan gives us a spectacular vision which each set piece greater than the one before. Damon, Hathaway, & Leguizamo are phenomenal! Although the tale is almost 3K years old, it’s eerie how relevant it is to today’s time!

Violence: There are a lot of violent scenes in the movie but nothing too gory. There is a scene with strobing lights that may affect those with light sensitivity issues.

Kid Friendly: Kids will probably read this poem in high school or college, so it might be a good precursor for them to see the movie. There is nothing too violent or sexual in the movie for young kids.

After the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Calypso along the way.